


Sketch me a Sunflower

by o_della



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: If Ruben was in The Evil Within 2, Lily is adorable, Ruben and Lily become unlikely friends, Ruben being emo, Ruben can't deal with kids, Ruben is so done, Ruvik - Freeform, Sunflowers, What I wanted from The Evil Within 2, cuteness, the evil within - Freeform, the evil within 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-16
Updated: 2018-05-16
Packaged: 2019-05-07 18:50:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,170
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14677224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o_della/pseuds/o_della
Summary: Ruben Victoriano thought that Mobius had locked him away in the farthest reaches of the new STEM, so how did this little girl find him?





	Sketch me a Sunflower

**Author's Note:**

> Just something I thought of one day and I just had to write it down, it's an extreme work in progress and I'm not sure if I'll even finish it. But it's something.

“You really like sunflowers.”

Ignoring it was easy enough for the first hour. His strategy of burying himself in pointless research and drivel seemed to have worked to a certain extent. Though it was only now that the child’s voice was finally making his head ache and his vision distort. Both unpleasantries Ruben easily recognized as the early symptoms of a migraine. 

_As if I didn’t get enough of those already._

A healing syringe of his own making would impede the symptoms. However, they were at his workbench several steps behind him. Getting there, unfortunately, would mean leaving his desk. Which would mean drawing attention to himself. Which would risk social interaction with the kid. 

He could always make more, but he needed materials for that. The collecting of which would also risk physical and social interaction. 

Ruben sighed heavily and rested his aching forehead on his desk. The glass of his skull made a satisfying thump, disturbing the once organized piles of scratchy STEM algorithms and random psychological notes. This kid was going to worsen his head trauma if he didn’t do something. Maybe he could knock himself out somehow--

“I like them too, but I’ve never seen a real-life sunflower before...”

He had lost count of how many pathetic statements the child had insisted on saying aloud. Frankly, its obsession with filling peaceful silence confused him. He had not met many children in his lifetime. Fortunately, Beacon’s age requirement was seventeen. Nevertheless, he was certain that normal children weren’t so intolerable. He himself was very quiet as a child. 

“Woah, this is very pretty. Who did this?”

_Damn it._

Unable to ignore the child’s insistent comments any longer, Ruben silently cursed to himself and lifted his thudding head, reluctantly turning his chair to see what had triggered the child to say something so purposeless. 

Lily Castellanos was facing the wall to the left of him, her small hands delicately tracing over one of the many drawings precisely sketched onto the bland, peeling wallpaper. The drawing peaking her interest being that of a sunflower.

_Typical._

Ruben analyzed her unusually relaxed demeanor, the young girl seemed enthralled by the very sight of the drawing. Strange, though expected. Lily had escaped from the grasp of Mobius numerous weeks ago. During that time, she would have most certainly seen things that no child should have seen. This perverted, stolen version of STEM was suffering the same fate as his own, tortured memories fabricating horrific monstrosities. To her, a simple drawing of something as peaceful as a sunflower would be like the relief of water in a desert. 

Now that he was observing her properly, Ruben realized her appearance greatly juxtaposed that of the macabre world around her. She was barefoot, her clothing consisting of bright pink pajamas. The excessively bright outfit decorated with darker pink flowers and white butterflies. Her face and skin were untouched, despite a small gash below her right eye. Her hair was raven, a few leaves tangled in her short strands. Unwavering and deep blue eyes still search the right wall, examining more sketches of sunflowers and avoiding the more scientific drawings. Her hair and eyes shared alarming similarities with his beloved sister. A thought he tried to push away, for the mention of Laura still managed to make his chest ache uncomfortably. 

Much like his late sister, Lily was far too colourful to deserve such a dull fate. Much less deserving of the grotesque world she finds herself in. Lily was far too untainted for the likeness of STEM. 

_Too innocent._

The girl was clutching a knitted doll in her left hand. Ruben soon recognized the doll’s appearance portrayed that of her father, Sebastian. The coincidence of Mobius stealing Sebastian’s daughter did not allude Ruben. Though it did irritate him. Of course he would end up having to deal with yet another annoyance from the Castellanos family. 

_The world could not be more kind._

The doll appeared to look younger, and in a much better condition than its living counterpart. Excusing a single piece of opaque glass from a beer bottle stuck in its arm. Ruben resisted the urge to smirk at the irony... and to rip its stupid grin off of its creepy face. 

Lily must have sensed him staring, for the girl whipped her head around to meet him. Her right hand still placed upon the wall decorated in drawings. She looked both surprised and nervous at Rubens’ unusual interaction, her positive demeanor slightly disintegrating. 

Despite her obvious wariness of him, she appeared to mask herself with confidence, straightening her posture and slightly relaxing her body language. A survival trait she no doubt inherited from her father. 

_Smart._

“Did you draw this? I’m not sure if you heard me… But it’s very pretty.”

The girl noticeably avoided his eyes whilst talking, darting them across the wall instead. A small crack in her confident charade. Ruben was well-accustomed to the reluctance of eye contact. To his irritation, the eeriness of his silver, washed-out eyes and bandaged appearance would often provoke rumours amongst individuals at Beacon. The most popular whispers coming to the juvenile conclusion that he was a ghost. Though repulsed by their stupidity, Ruben admitted his reputation did have its advantages. He was dreaded amongst most, and to be dreaded was to have control. 

It had been less than a day, but Lily had lasted much longer than others in Ruben’s presence. Though he was reluctant to waste more valuable time on the girl, his instincts drove him into scientific curiosity. 

“Yes,” he replied to Lily’s previous question. Stern but soft. 

“Oh!” A new, more genuine self-assurance washed over the girl. Her mood brightening with her new attempt at communication finally being successful. She stared back at Ruben, this time, maintaining eye contact. “I didn’t know you could talk,” Lily giggled, cuddling the Sebastian doll to her chest. The overall giddiness and innocence of Lily’s actions set Ruben on edge. 

_Not in here. Not in this place. It’s so wrong._

“My name is Lily by the way,” she spoke proudly, her small smile peaking over the dolls head.  
He already knew her name, Sebastian’s tortured memories taught him everything about Lily. He felt compelled to enlighten her on her father’s situation, though he knew it would only immensely disturb her. The information no doubt prompting even more difficulties than he had the patience to handle. 

“What’s your name?”, The girl inquired, apparently keen to continue the conversation. 

_Ugh._

He should have known she would start asking questions. Still, reluctantly of course, he indulged her. 

“Ruben,” He answered softly. He had no right to claim his birth name, that pleasantry, as well as almost everything else in his life, was torn from him. But she is a child, and a presumably doomed one at that. He doubts it matters anymore. 

“Hi Ruben!”, Lily beamed and moved closer to where he was sitting, “Now that we are friends, can you teach me how to draw a sunflower?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :)


End file.
